What's the difference between an air embolism and "the bends" when referring to decompression illnesses?

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Hello, I'm doing a project in which I'm relating the gas laws of chemistry to SCUBA diving, and I'm instructed to do two separate panels on both "the bends" and air embolisms. I have completed the section on "the bends," but when researching air embolisms, I feel that the two are so similar that I am having a hard time differentiating between the two. I am not too familiar with decompression illnesses, so could someone of a better understanding please help me out?
The Bends, also known as Decompression Sickness or DCS is when bubbles become blocked somewhere, typically in joint such as an elbow or shoulder. Depending upon severity, this can be quite painful. Treatment involves recompression in a chamber to reduce the size of the bubbles. "Small" bubbles are normal occurrence due to diving, but when they become too large, you get "bent."

Embolism, on the other hand, is completely different. Air Embolism is a situation where when the breath is held, the lungs become over-expanded and rupture like a balloon. The air then proceeds past the heart and straight to the brain. Since there are no nerves in the lungs it it painless. But death comes in under a minute.  (+ info)

How is embolism, varicose veins and epilepsy contra-indicated in a massage?

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i am doing a massage course and i cannot find out on the internet why embolism, epilepsy and varicos veins are contraindicated in a massage, please help!!!!!!!!
Hi. Here is a link to check out regarding massage and epilepsy. I am a massage therapist and also have a seizure disorder. THere are many people out there who have a seizure disorder and don't really talk about it. It is a good idea to check w/ the person to find out what types of seizures they have. For the most part, massage is contraindicated for clients w/ epilepsy/seizure disorder because if someone were to have a seizure while on your table, it could be a difficult situation to handle and there is fear that the client or therapist could be injured. It all depends on the type of seizures.(Not all seizures involve falling to the ground and having convulsions, some consist of a person kind of "spacing out" and these can last as little as a few seconds. This link has a really good description . . .

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Massage-1818/epilepsy-disfunction-nervous-system.htm?zIr=5

re:embolism, blood clots, varicose veins fall into that category as well because the increased blood flow to that area could aggravate an already present blood flow issue. When someone fills out their forms, and checks any of these off on their new client sheets, I always ask for a note from the doctor to ok massage . . . for varicose veins, I tell people that I cannot work distal to the veins for risk of dramatically increasing the blood flow through that area.  (+ info)

How long after the initial symptoms would a pulmonary embolism cause serious problems?

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I am doing an essay on 'sudden death' (cheerful, eh?) and am looking for info on pulmonary embolisms / infarction

Could anyone tell me how long after initial symptoms (pleuritic chest pain / cough etc) someone wouyld expect to go before hospitalisation is required ? Do PEs come on over time or are they sudden ???
A Pulmonary Embolism would cause immediate problems. Depending on the type of emboli. How about this:
At 2:01 pm a person throws a PE to the lung:
2:02
1. Short of Breath
2. O2 Saturation Drops
3. Unable to get oxygen into the system
4. Hypoxiema
5. Tachycardia
6. Someone had better dial 911 or this person is going to be shaking hands with St. Peter.

Time 2:10

7. Cardiac Arrest

All right sometimes it is not that dramatic. But on Sunday, I had a patient do just that. Lucky for us he was already on life support and we were able to treat. So sometimes it does go that fast and sometimes it depends on just a lot of other things like:

Is the person previously healthy with no lung disease? Then they have a better chance than someone who has extensive lung disease.

What is the person's age? Why did they throw the PE? All of these things come into play.  (+ info)

How long would it take for a 71 year old male to recover from pulmonary embolism?

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My dad had multiple large pulmonary embolisms about a month ago and almost did not make it. I was just wondering about how long the recovery process is for this. Such as shortness of breath, tired, ect.
It can take up to 6 weeks for him to feel as if his energy level is coming back. His doctor will give him an idea as to his activity level that he should be doing or can do and he needs to listen closely to his doctor.  (+ info)

Is chest pain common after pulmonary embolism?

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I am 32 and was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism in both lungs 2 months ago. The pain in my chest went away for about a month but now is returning and very gradually increasing. The pain is only on the left side. I am not yet having trouble breathing, but if it gets much worse I will. I am somewhat nervous about this since the pain was extreme before. I hope I am not having another episode. Is this a common or something I should be concerned about?
You should go to the emergency room right away. Don't wait another minute, as this could be very serious; life threatening.  (+ info)

Does thrombosis effecting the legs cause a person to not feel there leg and pins and needles feeling?

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I udnerstand it causes pain and swelling and loss in function
lol i don;t have the problem and certainlydon;t need to see any doctor. Im jsut writing an essay.
I just Googled the subject and all sites indicated that it has no symptoms.

At one point I had swelling in one ankle and the doctor thought I might have had a clot. He ordered a Venus Doppler test to identify if i had one. But I will say I had No pain or numbness at all.

That sounds more like a pinched nerve in your low back. A pinched nerve will cause numbness, tingling and pain. It will radiate down the leg or legs causing pain, tingling and numbness.

See a Chiropractor. A low back adjustment will probably solve the problem.  (+ info)

What could be a nursing diagnosis related to deep vein thrombosis?

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Patient had a hip replacement and she is at risk for DVT. How could I write this in terms of a nursing diagnosis?
It would be a risk for diagnosis:

Risk for ineffective tissue perfusion

as evidenced by: (the factors that make DVT a risk)  (+ info)

How to reassure someone that birth control does not result in thrombosis and death?

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My mum suffers from very bad migranes whenever her period comes around. This has been happening for 14 years since she had a first miscarriage. The doctor said that she doesn't need to suffer, all she needs to do is be put on a course of birth control pills to reduce progesterone. However, my mother is afraid this will mess with her hormones, resulting in increased testosterone and dangers of diseases linked with these pills. How likely is it that she would suffer side effects or even die?
Very unlikely. Have her do some research on the different types of birth control pills to see if there is one she would be comfortable taking. I have the same problem with migraines during periods (along with severe cramps and nausea) and birth control really helped reduce the frequency.  (+ info)

How long does it take to clear your lungs up after pulmonary embolism?

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This is my second PE. If you are on coumadin, can you travel by air without worry?
Your lungs will clear up eventually, and it can take from 3 to 6 months for the clot to dissolve, depending on the size of the embolism and how your body heals.

Coumadin is a blood thinner, and will help dissolve the clot.

Bleeding is the largest risk factor when taking coumadin. You will need to shave with an eclectic razor, and avoid bumping and banging your arms and legs because you will bleed and bruise easily. I would avoid using box cutters, and be careful when using a knife when cooking.

You will need to have your PT/INR labs drawn on a regular basis in order to check your bleeding times. Do not skip the lab work, as Coumadin takes about 24 to 48 hours to reverse should your bleeding times be too high.

There are also certain foods including cranberries, liver, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, Swiss chard, coriander, collards, cabbage, and other green leafy vegetables that you will need to either avoid, or eat sparingly. These all have high levels of vitamin K, which will inhibit the drug.

As for air travel, I am not aware of any specific restrictions due to Coumadin. However, your physician may have reasons for you not to do any air traveling.

My advice for you is to speak with your physican and clairfy your travel restictions, if you have any.  (+ info)

I've taken 30 contraceptive pills today, could I have thrombosis?

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I've taken 30 contraceptive pills today as i was ill-advised by a friend that in theory it should work like emergency contraception. Later today I went to the doctors and took emergency contraception. My tummy hurts now but I read the overdose symptoms online and they seem normal. Is there a chance i could have thrombosis?
I would suggest you call your poison control center if you feel any worse. I don't think it's thrombosis, but you want to get a medical professional to advise you on this one. The pills are meant to be taken over a month for a reason, they are abnormally high levels of hormones for you. A whole month of these plus an emergency contraceptive pill(which has MUCH higher doses than the monthly pill) is just way too many hormones for your system.  (+ info)

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